ORANGE, Calif. (AP)  Actress Tawny Kitaen and her
husband, pitcher Chuck Finley of the Cleveland Indians, accused one another
of domestic violence and drug abuse in dueling court documents obtained Wednesday
by The Associated Press.

Petitioning to regain custody of their two children, Kitaen
claimed that Finley started a fight that led to her arrest in April. She also
accused him of alcohol and drug abuse, and said he took steroids.

In his petition to keep custody of the children, Finley
alleged that Kitaen's "acts of domestic violence and chronic drug abuse place
the children at risk."

The petitions were filed May 2 in Orange County Superior
Court. A hearing on Kitaen's request has been continued until June 3.

Finley dismissed his wife's accusations.

"It's a typical custody battle," he said Wednesday night
after the Indians' victory over Baltimore.

Claiming that his wife is addicted to prescription medication,
Finley's petition stated, "Her abuse of drugs, legal or illegal, impair her
abilities to provide a safe environment for the children."

Finley filed divorce papers and obtained a temporary restraining
order after his wife allegedly attacked him in their car. The court order also
gave him temporary custody of the couple's daughters, ages 9 and 3.

Kitaen, who appeared in such movies as Bachelor Party
and California Girls, is accused of attacking her husband on April 1
as the two were returning home from dinner. Police officers said they saw abrasions
and scrapes on Finley's body.

Kitaen, 40, has pleaded innocent to two misdemeanor counts
of domestic violence. She faces up to a year in jail and $6,000 in fines, if
convicted.

She alleges in the petition that Finley started the fight
in the car by grabbing her leg and twisting it, and that she kicked him in self-defense
as they were driving from the restaurant to their upscale Newport Beach home.

In the documents, she said she wants custody of her children
because she is concerned for their safety.

"I have observed the petitioner (Finley) as a heavy drinker.
Petitioner also is a heavy marijuana smoker. I have also witnessed petitioner
take illegal steroids. ... He has previously bragged to me that he knows how
to get around drug testing with the baseball league," it read.

Finley's petition did not address Kitaen's allegations.

Kitaen's attorney, Susan Wiesner, would not comment on
the case. A telephone call to Finley's attorney, Gerald J. Phillips, was not
immediately returned.

Finley and Kitaen were married in November 1997. She previously
was married to David Coverdale, lead singer of the rock band Whitesnake.

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